Various types of enlarged lenses are worn by persons for both medical and aesthetic reasons. One type is a scleral lens which is large diameter lens sized to rest on the sclera of the eye (i.e., the white portion of the eye). The lens is configured to create a reservoir that extends over and bulges away from the cornea. This reservoir is filled with fluid which fills in irregularities in the cornea thus allowing for improved vision. The fluid-filled reservoir formed against the cornea provides comfort for users who are not able to wear standard contact lenses.
Another type of enlarged lens is a hybrid contact lens that includes a central section surrounded by a skirt. The inclusion of these two different sections in this lens gives it a larger diameter than standard contact lenses. The central section bulges outward and is designed to hold fluid against the user's cornea. The center section may also be gas-permeable and relatively rigid relative to the soft skirt. Hybrid contact lenses are often worn by users that are unable to wear standard rigid gas-permeable contact lenses.
These enlarged lenses are used for a variety of different purposes, including to improve the vision of the wearer, reduce pain in persons with a variety of eye disorders or injuries, and to address light sensitivity for the wearer. Lenses may also be worn for purely aesthetic purposes, such as to create special effects for use in movies or for use with costumes.
Insertion of enlarged lenses is often difficult due to their relatively large size and/or the requirement that the lens be filled with liquid prior to insertion. The user is required to place the lens in an initial orientation with the concave surface facing upward. This orientation provides for the lens to be filled with liquid. Once filled, the user leans over the lens and inserts the lens in an upward motion into their eye. The upward motion is necessary to align the lens with the eye, and to minimize the liquid from spilling from the lens.
A variety of different types of applicators have been used for insertion of enlarged lenses. One type includes a plunger with an opening that is held against an exterior of the lens. The plunger is squeezed by the user to create a suction force to attach the lens. Once the lens is positioned onto the eye, the plunger is squeezed again to release the lens. Other devices have included a variety of supporting surfaces to contact the lens and handles for grasping by the user. However, these prior devices are either difficult to maneuver with the liquid-filled lens, do not adequately release the lens, and/or do not adequately support the lens.